TITLE:
Prevalence of Respiratory Infections and Analysis of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Residents of Korhogo (Northern Côte d’Ivoire)
AUTHORS:
Tanoh Amany Serge Raymond N’Krumah, Bi Yourou Guillaume Zamina, Ellélé Aimé Marius Yapi, Boukini Souleymane Coulibaly, Ollo Kambiré, Issaka Tiembré
KEYWORDS:
Respiratory Infections, Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, Prevalence, Korhogo, C?te d’Ivoire
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.7,
July
20,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: Respiratory infections are a major public health problem, particu-larly in northern Côte d’Ivoire. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of respiratory infections and to analyze the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the population of Korhogo. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study. The survey was conducted in July 2025 (rainy season) and January 2026 (dry season) among 430 residents of the city of Korhogo, selected using a mixed sampling method (convenience and simple random sampling). The data were analyzed using R software version 4.3.3, and statistical tests were performed at a 5% significance level. Results: The overall prevalence of respiratory infections was 22% (95% CI: 17.8 - 25.8). During the rainy season (July 2025), the prevalence was 13%, while during the dry season (January 2026), it was 30%. The knowledge assessment showed that the majority (96%) of respondents had good knowledge about respiratory infections, with an average score of 4/5. With regard to attitudes and practices, nearly 43% of respondents reported purchasing medications directly from a pharmacy at the onset of illness, while 52.1% indicated that they would visit a health center in the event of severe respiratory infections. The assessment of practices and attitudes revealed that more than half of respondents (52%) adopted practices and attitudes considered acceptable to good regarding respiratory infections, with an average score of 2.6/5. Conclusion: These findings underscore the need to strengthen public awareness, prevention, and epidemiological surveillance in order to reduce the incidence of respiratory infections in Korhogo.